Soldier dies on North Yorkshire training exercise

British officers and non-commissioned Iraqi officers march during their passing-out parade at Dering Lines in Brecon, Wales, on August 17, 2005. A soldier has died after collapsing during training in North Yorkshire, police said Friday, in the fourth death on military exercises in Britain this year

A soldier has died after collapsing during training in North Yorkshire, police said Friday, in the fourth death on military exercises in Britain this year.

The cause of the 26-year-old man's death is not yet known, but it is not being treated as suspicious, North Yorkshire Police said.

He died on Wednesday morning on moorland near Leyburn, a spokesman said. Police were called just before 9am.

A member of the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, which returned from Afghanistan in April, the soldier was taking part in a three-mile run over rugged terrain when he collapsed.

"Sadly, despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene," a spokesman said.

The soldier's family has been informed but his name is not yet being released.

"Officers are working with the Army to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death, which is not suspicious, so that a file can be prepared on behalf of the coroner," the spokesman added.

The incident follows the deaths of three Territorial Army soldiers who were carrying heavy packs during SAS selection training when temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius on the Brecon Beacons in July.

An inquiry is under way into the deaths of Edward Maher, 31, and Craig Roberts, 24, after they collapsed during a 40-mile (64km) mountain hike on July 13, along with that of James Dunsby, 31, who died two weeks after taking part in the same exercise.

Media reported that their deaths were likely due to heat exhaustion, citing sources involved with the case.

Temperatures were far cooler in North Yorkshire on Wednesday, around 17 degrees Celsius.